Dial and pointer for price-computing scales.



r J. T. MAGUIRE'. DIAL AND POINTER FOR PRICE COMPUTING SCALES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1912.

Pate'nted Oct. 22, 1912,

To altwhom tt may, concern:

a citizenof the United States,

Washington, in the District of Columbia, have; invented certain provements Computing is aspecification.

f io

UNITED erases Parana? OFFICE.

L JosnrrI 'r. MA-GUIRE, or WASHINGTON,

ms'rnic'r or coLuMnIA.

7 DIAL AND POINTER ron PRICE-COMPUTING SCALES.

Be itknown that I, J osnrii T. MAGUIBE,

new and useful Im- Scales, of which the following The object of my inventionis the provision of a new dial and pointer for price computing scales'which will be simple, may be inexpensivelymanufactured, will employ a relatively provide maximum few number ofni'imerals,

j spacing between 'both unit and total prices while occupying only a minimum .dial space and will insure ease-of reading 'both by the customer and merchant theai'ticle purchased; second, in a pointer,

"the total cost 1 a i be Whole or mixed numbers.

2 I O I vision of and, I further, precision of computation whether the unit prices My invention consists, first,

a dial and pointer, either of which maybe movable, the pointer having total prices indicating the amount of the pur- I chase, and the dial being provided with gradnations in pounds and with unit prices for reading-in conjunction \vith'tlie totalprices on tlie pointer, according to-the weight of dial and either of which may be movable, the pointer having total prices to indicate of the purchase and the dial being provided-with graduations representtingiofspiraltcurves, each curve representing weight and with unit prices which, as contradistinguished from computing dials heretofore known, are indicated by the plotmg the locusof the points ofcoincidence with the according to the weight. The provision of the total prices on the pointer,instead of on the dial as heretofore provided in computing scale dials, mini iinizes the figures and graduations which have to beol'iserved by the merchant and customer, thus rendering the reading of the scale a matter oi ease and precision. The

plotting of the unit prices on the dial by spiral curves affords a maximum of spacing at all points, iuinimizes'the, figures or nu- Ineralswhich have to beemployed on the dial to represent unit prices, permits the in- ,terpolatiou of fractional or mixed numbers without actual placing thereof on the dial and also the use of a dial of relatively small size. Preferably, although I do not limit myself thereto, the dial markings residing atv in" Dials and Pointers for Price-.-

*nection with any the pan, platform,

' may be in the proraduationsof that particular unitv price on t c pointer.

Jthe pointer and the indication of the total thereof. Beginning at zero, the dial is provided with spiral curves D, E,

may be Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

duplicated on opposite faces thereof andtwo pointers employed, one for each dial, so that" the scales may be read. from both sides, eiaabling the customer and the merchant to simultaneously read the sea es.

Theinvention is adapted foruse in contype of scales, Whether of beam, spring, Weight, or an .other type,'as it resides in the dial and pointer construction and plotting alone, and I do not limit myself to either a mo\ able pointer or a movable dial, as the invention carried out by employing either, of these parts as the movableelement.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a front elevation, the po nter being shown at rest in full lines, and in dotted lines as indicating the operation; and Fig. 2, a l

' the dial and 7 vertical section showing'how pointer may be made in duplex form.

I have shown the dial as stationary and the'poiiiter as movable. I v I The dial isshown at 1. and the ointer at 2. the latter being on a shaft an actuated by the weighing part of the scales inany ordinary or preferred manner. The, pointer is provided with graduations 3 runnin rom zero at A to the highest total price at "that the scales are designed to indicate. The

numbers 3 represent money totals and indicate the total price to be paid for the pura chase, according to the weight and, price per unit of weight,.which latter is indicated on the dial as will present-1y appear. In this respect my invention is distinguished from all others of which I am aware, for while it has been proposed heretofore to provide on the pointer the unit prices per pound, so far as I amaware, the total prices have heretofore been indicated on thedial. In this respect, the present invention has an advantage in that the eyes of the .customer and the merchant need only be directed to price is thus rendered easy and precise in its determination.

()n the dial 1 there is a graduated. scale 4 arranged in the arcof a circle whose center is the pivotal point of the pointer 2, such scale representing pounds and fractions as shown at C,

F, G, H, etc, each curve representing thelocus of the points of intersection of the different units of rice with the total price graduations Son the pointer according to I provided at one or more points of their expounds, the graduation S N, O, P, etc., representing the unit of price. For instance,

tent with numerals such as M,

the lowermost spiral curve represents articles sold at the rate of 5 cents per pound, the next spiral curve represents those sold at 10 cents per pound, etc. The intermediate space may be subdivided, and is preferably so subdivided with spiral curves representing price units of 6,7, 8 and 9 cents per poundand between the 10 cent and 15 cent' curves there may be additional spiral curves representing 11, 12, 13, and 14 cents respectively. If preferred, the spaces between the different curves could be subdivided into fractions, but this would provide too many lines on the dial and is unnecessary as the.

eye will readily interpolate, without actual plotting, fractional parts of cents and an pointer 2 is readily accurate reading on the obtainable. Preferably, the 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. curves will be printed in some distinctive manner as by color or heaviness and the intermediate curves will be printed lighter or by a differentiating color to enable the eye to morereadily read the pointer and dial. .It is not essential that the curves D, E, F, G, H, etc., should extend on both sides of the vertical diameter of the dial, nor that the scale 4 should be placed as indicated. Furthermore, the pointer when in a state of rest may be vertical instead of horizontal. Other modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of themvention.

As shown in Fig. 2, the dial may beduplicatcd on its opposite side 1 and another pointer 2 employed, the two pointers being rigidly secured together. Y

Assuming that the pointer is in the full line position shown in Fig.1, with its index directed to zero on the scale 4 and a customer desires 7 pounds of sugar at 5 cents per pound, the pointer 2 having turned to the graduation R on the scale 4 representing 7 on the pointer 2 which shows a total price of 35 cents will be found to intercept the 5 cent curve, thus indicating that the total purchase is 35 cent curve, indicating that the total purchaseaamounts to '72 cents.

Having thus described my 1nvent1on,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a price computing scale, the combination of a relatively movable pointer and dial, the pointer being providedwith graduations'having indicia showing total or computed prices, and the dial havin points represented by unit prices ada ted to register with the graduations of t e dial having a scale representing different weights, the pointer beingarranged'to c0- operate with said weight-scale, whereby the weight and price per unit of weight bein known, the total computed price may be read from the indicia on the pointer.

2. In a price computing scale, the combination of a relatively movable pointer and dial, the pointer being provided with graduations having indicia showing total or computed prices, and the dial having curves which plot the loci of numerous points representing unitprices and arranged to reg ister with the total prices on the pointer, the said dial also having a scale of weights on which the pointer is adapted ,to indicate, whereby the unit price and weight being known, the total or computed price is indi- T will coincide with the gradual per pound is desired, the total price of 72 pointer, said cated by the indicia on the pointer coinciding with the curve representing the unit price. a

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH T. MAGUIRE.

Witnesses! FRANK T. MILLER, 'omns F. CLARK.

(topics of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 2mm,

Washington, D. C. 

